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Why should you major in psychology? Is psychology a good career? If you’ve ever contemplated pursuing a psychology degree, these are questions you’ve probably asked yourself.Psychology is one of the most popular college majors among undergraduate students around the worldPsychology ranks as the fourth most popular major, and over 100,000 U.S. students earn a bachelor’s degree in this field each year.Why is psychology so popular? Apsychology degreeoffers students the opportunity for personal growth and opens up a huge range of career opportunities.At a GlancePsychology can be an excellent choice for a college major and career for many reasons. Getting a psychology degree can open the doors to many different careers and lead you to a job that is in high demand. It can also be a great way to learn more about yourself and make a real difference in people’s lives. If you are wonderingif psychology is the right choice for you, consider some of the following reasons why you should major in psychology.
Why should you major in psychology? Is psychology a good career? If you’ve ever contemplated pursuing a psychology degree, these are questions you’ve probably asked yourself.
Psychology is one of the most popular college majors among undergraduate students around the worldPsychology ranks as the fourth most popular major, and over 100,000 U.S. students earn a bachelor’s degree in this field each year.
Why is psychology so popular? Apsychology degreeoffers students the opportunity for personal growth and opens up a huge range of career opportunities.
At a GlancePsychology can be an excellent choice for a college major and career for many reasons. Getting a psychology degree can open the doors to many different careers and lead you to a job that is in high demand. It can also be a great way to learn more about yourself and make a real difference in people’s lives. If you are wonderingif psychology is the right choice for you, consider some of the following reasons why you should major in psychology.
At a Glance
Psychology can be an excellent choice for a college major and career for many reasons. Getting a psychology degree can open the doors to many different careers and lead you to a job that is in high demand. It can also be a great way to learn more about yourself and make a real difference in people’s lives. If you are wonderingif psychology is the right choice for you, consider some of the following reasons why you should major in psychology.
1Prepare for a Wide Variety of CareersTom M Johnson / Blend Images / Getty ImagesPsychology is certainly not a one-size-fits-all career choice. In fact, one of the greatest strengths of a psychology degree is the enormous variety of career paths that are available to graduates.Students can tailor their education and degree to focus on specialty areas that appeal to their interests.Some of these potential professions include:Clinical psychologySports psychologyForensic psychologyHealth psychologyIndustrial-organizational psychologyHuman factors psychologyPsychologist Salary Info: The 9 Highest Paying Careers
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Prepare for a Wide Variety of CareersTom M Johnson / Blend Images / Getty ImagesPsychology is certainly not a one-size-fits-all career choice. In fact, one of the greatest strengths of a psychology degree is the enormous variety of career paths that are available to graduates.Students can tailor their education and degree to focus on specialty areas that appeal to their interests.Some of these potential professions include:Clinical psychologySports psychologyForensic psychologyHealth psychologyIndustrial-organizational psychologyHuman factors psychologyPsychologist Salary Info: The 9 Highest Paying Careers
Prepare for a Wide Variety of Careers
Tom M Johnson / Blend Images / Getty Images
Psychology is certainly not a one-size-fits-all career choice. In fact, one of the greatest strengths of a psychology degree is the enormous variety of career paths that are available to graduates.
Students can tailor their education and degree to focus on specialty areas that appeal to their interests.
Some of these potential professions include:
Psychologist Salary Info: The 9 Highest Paying Careers
2Learn More About Yourself and OthersDavid Schaffer / Caiaimage / Getty ImagesHave you ever wondered why people behave in certain ways? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to learn more about your own mind, emotions, and actions? Earning a degree in psychology is an excellent way to gain a greater understanding of people.These Skills Are Highly TransferableIn addition to satisfying your own interest in human nature, having a solid understanding of what makes people do certain things can be a very marketable skill in a wide variety of job settings, includingsocial services, advertising, marketing, education, health care, and politics.
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Learn More About Yourself and OthersDavid Schaffer / Caiaimage / Getty ImagesHave you ever wondered why people behave in certain ways? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to learn more about your own mind, emotions, and actions? Earning a degree in psychology is an excellent way to gain a greater understanding of people.These Skills Are Highly TransferableIn addition to satisfying your own interest in human nature, having a solid understanding of what makes people do certain things can be a very marketable skill in a wide variety of job settings, includingsocial services, advertising, marketing, education, health care, and politics.
Learn More About Yourself and Others
David Schaffer / Caiaimage / Getty Images
Have you ever wondered why people behave in certain ways? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to learn more about your own mind, emotions, and actions? Earning a degree in psychology is an excellent way to gain a greater understanding of people.
These Skills Are Highly TransferableIn addition to satisfying your own interest in human nature, having a solid understanding of what makes people do certain things can be a very marketable skill in a wide variety of job settings, includingsocial services, advertising, marketing, education, health care, and politics.
These Skills Are Highly Transferable
In addition to satisfying your own interest in human nature, having a solid understanding of what makes people do certain things can be a very marketable skill in a wide variety of job settings, includingsocial services, advertising, marketing, education, health care, and politics.
3Find a Job That’s in DemandHill Street Studios / Blend Images / Getty ImagesThe demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, and social services agencies is expected to fuel a positive job outlook for trained professionals. Three job areas expected to be in high demand are clinical psychology,school psychology, and industrial-organizational psychology.According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, theemployment of psychologistsis expected to grow at a rate of about 6% between 2022 and 2032. This is in line with the average growth for all jobs.Obtaining a graduate degree and getting postdoctoral work experience may give you an extra competitive edge if you want to work in a job directly related to psychology.
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Find a Job That’s in DemandHill Street Studios / Blend Images / Getty ImagesThe demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, and social services agencies is expected to fuel a positive job outlook for trained professionals. Three job areas expected to be in high demand are clinical psychology,school psychology, and industrial-organizational psychology.According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, theemployment of psychologistsis expected to grow at a rate of about 6% between 2022 and 2032. This is in line with the average growth for all jobs.Obtaining a graduate degree and getting postdoctoral work experience may give you an extra competitive edge if you want to work in a job directly related to psychology.
Find a Job That’s in Demand
Hill Street Studios / Blend Images / Getty Images
The demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, and social services agencies is expected to fuel a positive job outlook for trained professionals. Three job areas expected to be in high demand are clinical psychology,school psychology, and industrial-organizational psychology.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, theemployment of psychologistsis expected to grow at a rate of about 6% between 2022 and 2032. This is in line with the average growth for all jobs.
Obtaining a graduate degree and getting postdoctoral work experience may give you an extra competitive edge if you want to work in a job directly related to psychology.
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Enjoy Fun, Rewarding, Challenging Work
BSIP / UIG / Getty Images
Is Psychology a Good Career?Research shows that most psychologists enjoy their work. Around 93% of psychologists in the field report feeling “somewhat” or “very satisfied” with their careers.
Is Psychology a Good Career?
Research shows that most psychologists enjoy their work. Around 93% of psychologists in the field report feeling “somewhat” or “very satisfied” with their careers.
5Make a Difference in People’s LivesTom Merton / Caiaimage / Getty ImagesIf you’ve ever dreamed of making a real difference in other people’s lives, earning a psychology degree can be an effective way to achieve that goal. Psychologists, counselors, therapists, and community services workers devote their time and energy to helping people overcome adversity, increase their well-being, and realize their full potential.While this type of work can be emotionally demanding and stressful at times,it can also be very fulfilling.
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Make a Difference in People’s LivesTom Merton / Caiaimage / Getty ImagesIf you’ve ever dreamed of making a real difference in other people’s lives, earning a psychology degree can be an effective way to achieve that goal. Psychologists, counselors, therapists, and community services workers devote their time and energy to helping people overcome adversity, increase their well-being, and realize their full potential.While this type of work can be emotionally demanding and stressful at times,it can also be very fulfilling.
Make a Difference in People’s Lives
Tom Merton / Caiaimage / Getty Images
If you’ve ever dreamed of making a real difference in other people’s lives, earning a psychology degree can be an effective way to achieve that goal. Psychologists, counselors, therapists, and community services workers devote their time and energy to helping people overcome adversity, increase their well-being, and realize their full potential.
While this type of work can be emotionally demanding and stressful at times,it can also be very fulfilling.
6Record, Analyze, and Interpret DataHero Images / Getty ImagesPsychology students spend a great deal of time learning aboutresearch methodsandstatistics. Even if you don’t particularly love the research process, learning more about how to gather, organize, analyze, and interpret data can be an important skill in a wide variety of careers.For example, educators, administrators, scientists, marketers, and advertisers often perform such tasks in order to make decisions, evaluate progress, and complete projects.
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Record, Analyze, and Interpret DataHero Images / Getty ImagesPsychology students spend a great deal of time learning aboutresearch methodsandstatistics. Even if you don’t particularly love the research process, learning more about how to gather, organize, analyze, and interpret data can be an important skill in a wide variety of careers.For example, educators, administrators, scientists, marketers, and advertisers often perform such tasks in order to make decisions, evaluate progress, and complete projects.
Record, Analyze, and Interpret Data
Hero Images / Getty Images
Psychology students spend a great deal of time learning aboutresearch methodsandstatistics. Even if you don’t particularly love the research process, learning more about how to gather, organize, analyze, and interpret data can be an important skill in a wide variety of careers.
For example, educators, administrators, scientists, marketers, and advertisers often perform such tasks in order to make decisions, evaluate progress, and complete projects.
7Prepare for Graduate StudyAn undergraduate degree in psychology can be an excellent starting point for graduate study. Many students choose to earn a graduate degree in psychology, while others opt to further their education in a related field such as counseling, education, orsocial work.Even if you plan on pursuing a different field in graduate school, you may still find majoring in psychology helpful. Having a background in human psychology can also lead to further study in law, medicine, or the life sciences.Master’s in Psychology Prerequisites
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Prepare for Graduate StudyAn undergraduate degree in psychology can be an excellent starting point for graduate study. Many students choose to earn a graduate degree in psychology, while others opt to further their education in a related field such as counseling, education, orsocial work.Even if you plan on pursuing a different field in graduate school, you may still find majoring in psychology helpful. Having a background in human psychology can also lead to further study in law, medicine, or the life sciences.Master’s in Psychology Prerequisites
Prepare for Graduate Study
An undergraduate degree in psychology can be an excellent starting point for graduate study. Many students choose to earn a graduate degree in psychology, while others opt to further their education in a related field such as counseling, education, orsocial work.
Even if you plan on pursuing a different field in graduate school, you may still find majoring in psychology helpful. Having a background in human psychology can also lead to further study in law, medicine, or the life sciences.
Master’s in Psychology Prerequisites
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Pursue a Specialty
Tetra Images / Getty Images
Let’s imagine that in addition to your strong interest in psychology, you also love sports and physical fitness. While the two subjects might seem only distantly related at first, they actually make up a majorspecialty areaknown as sports psychology.
One benefit of earning a psychology degree is that you can pursue a career path aligned with your passions and interests.
Interestingly, psychologists who specialize in working with aging people may also have particularly great job prospects.Geropsychology, a field that uses psychology knowledge to help aging adults, is expected to be a growing field in psychology.
9Impress Potential EmployersPeopleImages / DigitalVision / Getty ImagesEmployers highly prize the skills that you acquire during your study of psychology, such as analyzing data, communicating complex information, and understanding human behavior.While around 64% of the 1.3 million people with a bachelor’s in psychology say that their degree is directly related to their current career, the remainder put their knowledge of psychology to work in other professions.These could include:AdvertisingBusinessCriminal justiceEducationHealth servicesHuman resourcesManagementMarketingPublic affairsSales
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Impress Potential EmployersPeopleImages / DigitalVision / Getty ImagesEmployers highly prize the skills that you acquire during your study of psychology, such as analyzing data, communicating complex information, and understanding human behavior.While around 64% of the 1.3 million people with a bachelor’s in psychology say that their degree is directly related to their current career, the remainder put their knowledge of psychology to work in other professions.These could include:AdvertisingBusinessCriminal justiceEducationHealth servicesHuman resourcesManagementMarketingPublic affairsSales
Impress Potential Employers
PeopleImages / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Employers highly prize the skills that you acquire during your study of psychology, such as analyzing data, communicating complex information, and understanding human behavior.
While around 64% of the 1.3 million people with a bachelor’s in psychology say that their degree is directly related to their current career, the remainder put their knowledge of psychology to work in other professions.
These could include:
10Study a Topic You LoveThe best possible reason to earn a degree in psychology is simply a love for the subject matter. If you look forward to going to yourpsychology courses, enjoy discussing psychology topics, spend your free time browsing psychology websites, and love learningnew factsabout psychology, then chances are good that earning a psychology degree is the right choice for you.Jobs With a Bachelor’s in Psychology
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Study a Topic You LoveThe best possible reason to earn a degree in psychology is simply a love for the subject matter. If you look forward to going to yourpsychology courses, enjoy discussing psychology topics, spend your free time browsing psychology websites, and love learningnew factsabout psychology, then chances are good that earning a psychology degree is the right choice for you.Jobs With a Bachelor’s in Psychology
Study a Topic You Love
The best possible reason to earn a degree in psychology is simply a love for the subject matter. If you look forward to going to yourpsychology courses, enjoy discussing psychology topics, spend your free time browsing psychology websites, and love learningnew factsabout psychology, then chances are good that earning a psychology degree is the right choice for you.
Jobs With a Bachelor’s in Psychology
6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Clay RA.Trends report: Psychology is more popular than ever.Monitor on Psychology. 2017;48(10):44.National Center for Education Statistics.Fast facts. Most popular majors.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Psychologists.Occupational Outlook Handbook.Lin L, Christidis P, Conroy J.Most psychologists are satisfied with their jobs.Monitor on Psychology. 2019;50(3):19American Psychological Association.Geropsychology: It’s your future.Lin L, Ghaness A, Stamm K, Christidis P, Conroy J.Do psychology degree holders work in psychology jobs?Monitor on Psychology.2018;49(9):19
6 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Clay RA.Trends report: Psychology is more popular than ever.Monitor on Psychology. 2017;48(10):44.National Center for Education Statistics.Fast facts. Most popular majors.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Psychologists.Occupational Outlook Handbook.Lin L, Christidis P, Conroy J.Most psychologists are satisfied with their jobs.Monitor on Psychology. 2019;50(3):19American Psychological Association.Geropsychology: It’s your future.Lin L, Ghaness A, Stamm K, Christidis P, Conroy J.Do psychology degree holders work in psychology jobs?Monitor on Psychology.2018;49(9):19
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Clay RA.Trends report: Psychology is more popular than ever.Monitor on Psychology. 2017;48(10):44.National Center for Education Statistics.Fast facts. Most popular majors.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Psychologists.Occupational Outlook Handbook.Lin L, Christidis P, Conroy J.Most psychologists are satisfied with their jobs.Monitor on Psychology. 2019;50(3):19American Psychological Association.Geropsychology: It’s your future.Lin L, Ghaness A, Stamm K, Christidis P, Conroy J.Do psychology degree holders work in psychology jobs?Monitor on Psychology.2018;49(9):19
Clay RA.Trends report: Psychology is more popular than ever.Monitor on Psychology. 2017;48(10):44.
National Center for Education Statistics.Fast facts. Most popular majors.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Psychologists.Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Lin L, Christidis P, Conroy J.Most psychologists are satisfied with their jobs.Monitor on Psychology. 2019;50(3):19
American Psychological Association.Geropsychology: It’s your future.
Lin L, Ghaness A, Stamm K, Christidis P, Conroy J.Do psychology degree holders work in psychology jobs?Monitor on Psychology.2018;49(9):19
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